Nearly 40 Percent of Smokers are Mentally Ill

A new report shows that almost 1.3 million Australians with a mental illness are smokers. This means that 38 percent of Australians who smoke are mentally ill.

People with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are three times more likely to smoke than other Australians, and there are few programs to help the large numbers who want to quit.

The mentally ill also tend to smoke more heavily than others, buying 42 percent of all cigarettes sold in Australia each year.